If you consider both a location's surroundings and activities when planning a getaway, you're not alone. More than 75 percent of Americans take both factors into account when choosing a spot. Yet in a country full of amazing nature destinations, it can be difficult to get information on the "perfect" place to hike, golf, camp or simply spend time in the great outdoors.
According to Synovate, Inc., a Chicago-based research firm, more than 65 percent of Americans turn to family, friends and co-workers for travel recommendations. Now there's a new Web site from Nature Valley that makes the process of finding your next outdoor travel destination easier.

The site, known as "Where's Yours?," is a good resource to learn about a new place for a favorite activity or new activity in a beloved palce. The site allows the outdoor enthusiast to find all of the information he or she needs in one place. Visitors can explore locations for their next outdoor getaway or "mark the spot" of their own favorite U. outdoor location(s).

They can review recommendations and ratings from several active outdoor experts including the U. Ski Team, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and the National Park Foundation.
"Where's Yours?" makes it easy to research your next journey with journal-style reviews and pictures of outdoor destinations across the country. Travelers can post their favorite nature destination by submitting a journal entry of up to 250 words, provide ratings across four categories (beauty, value, remoteness and intensity), suggest applicable activities and post pictures.
By visiting the site, outdoor enthusiasts can also enter the "Where's Yours?" contest for the chance to win one of four grandprize trips. Winners get to journey with three friends to any one of the many locations posted on www.wheresyours.com within the continental United States. To enter, contestants must submit an original essay (up to 250 words) describing his/her own personal favorite U.

spot in nature. Photo submissions are optional. Contestants can enter as many times as they wish, and entries will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, authenticity and description. The contest runs through September 30, 2006.